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Novosound secures patent for wearable ultrasound system.
The novosound Slanj platform is a world first for wireless wearable ultrasound development and is being used to create innovative wearable healthcare technologies across the world.
Novosound, the Scottish sensor technology scaleup, has secured a patent for its ultrasonic instrumentation system, with the firm recently launching its related Slanj platform targeted at the medical and wearable device sectors worldwide.
The milestone marks Novosound’s 21st patent awarded since 2018, and gives the company the exclusive rights to sell the technology that has underpinned leading research in Scotland and the United States into wireless, wearable ultrasound.
The company’s CEO and co-founder, Dr Dave Hughes, said: “I’m really proud that Novosound has obtained the first patent for a wearable ultrasound system. This allows us to integrate and license the technology with smartwatch partners, looking deeper into the body and enhancing the measurements their optical and electrical sensors provide, opening up the holy grail of 24/7 blood pressure monitoring on the wrist.”
Novosound is also progressing patent applications for its wearable technology worldwide, while ongoing research and pilot projects—including muscle activity and blood pressure monitoring in smartwatches— are continuing with global tech firms, and also with institutions like the Texas Medical Center.
Hughes added: “This technology builds on the legacy of ultrasound in Scotland, where it was first demonstrated as a medical diagnostic technique at the University of Glasgow in 1954, and now as a Scottish company moves it out of the hospital, into the home via a wearable device.”
The company, which was the University of the West of Scotland’s first ever spinout in 2018, has raised over £10 million since, appointed former Intel executive David Jolliffe as CFO last year, while also announcing commercial contracts with Nasdaq-listed PAVmed Inc., and partnerships at the Texas Medical Center.
The firm is forecasting its fourth year in a row of revenue growth.


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RILA welcomed five new leaders to its Board of Directors as elected during the group’s semi-annual meeting held virtually January 19th.
Prosegur Security, a global leader in security technology, has appointed Tony D’Onofrio as CEO and managing director of its Global Retail Business Unit.
Retail post-COVID will include continued concerns with safety, higher digital transformation, and increased time-saving consumer services.
While not exhaustive, these ten themes will be central to loss prevention and asset protection organizations in 2021.
NRF issued a statement from CEO Matthew Shay in response to Congressional passage of the Emergency Coronavirus Relief Act of 2020.
John Peterson, senior director of North America sales at Checkpoint, worked for the company for over three decades in various sales roles.
A top priority for retailers in the next Congress will be an effort to modernize consumer protections laws by passing the INFORM Act.
Organized retail crime is continuing to grow, with the number of dollars lost topping a key threshold for the fifth year in a row.
While the fear of cash itself is irrational, retailers must stay up to date with cash management trends in the industry and among consumers.
If you would like to donate a holiday meal to the family of a currently deployed servicemember, Installation Food will make that happen.

domain: news


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GERMANY: Market forecast to spring back
Despite a hefty increase in value-added tax (VAT) that came into force at the beginning of this year, 2007 will be a good year for the German car market, according to forecasters.
CSM Worldwide expects that the market will continue to grow as stronger economic fundamentals and high replacement demand should be sufficient to balance any pull-ahead experienced this year from the recent VAT rise. VAT in Germany rose three percentage points from 1 January to 19%.
Henner Lehne, CSM market analyst based in Frankfurt, expects the total market for light vehicles under 3.5 tonnes to turn out at 3.66m vehicles this year, up from 3.61m in 2006. "The whole economic situation in Germany is very positive, and pent-up demand from the slow market of the last few years means that there is strong replacement demand," said Lehne.
Lehne estimates that around 50,000 car purchases were brought forward into 2006 ahead of the VAT rise (final figures for the December car market were not available at the time of writing). Lehne notes that half of all vehicles registered in Germany are company cars and so are not affected by VAT at all.
Some forecasters had anticipated a strong payback in 2007, but in the current positive economic environment the price increase from the higher VAT rate is likely to be considered as not very important (a few hundred euros in real terms). In the short-term, manufacturers are expected to compensate for the price increase with incentives, said Lehne. Skoda is already leading the way and others are expected to follow. In the longer term, manufacturers may hide the price increase by making equipment such as a first-aid kit or floor mats optional where they might have been included before.
The view is supported by respected automotive analyst Ferdinand Dudenhöffer who was quoted in a German newspaper as saying that he expects the market to be supported by heavy incentives from the vehicle manufacturers and their dealers, particularly in the first half of the year. He is expecting incentives to average up to 19%, in the form of special models, favourable financing deals and offers to pay the first year's car insurance and car tax.
Dudenhöffer is forecasting that Germany will register 3.4m new cars in Germany in 2007, 44,000 more than in 2006. Like CSM, he estimates that around 50,000 car purchases were brought forward into 2006 ahead of the VAT increase, and that, as a result, the first three months of the year will be tough. After that the market should return to a gradual growth path.


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KSI joined Logan Paul in celebrating a new sponsorship deal with the UFC.
YouTubers and now business partners Logan Paul and KSI have inked a multi-year sponsorship agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Making Prime, the hydration drink brand, the UFC's new official sports drink.
Olajide Olayinka Williams 'JJ' Olatunji, also known as KSI, a YouTuber-turned-boxer, appeared delighted about their new sponsorship agreement with the UFC.
KSI took to Twitter to showcase his contentment about the deal and wrote:
"What Logan Paul and I have achieved with Prime is simply mind blowing. 2 YouTubers with a dream, and now we’ve turned it into reality. Prime sponsors Arsenal FC and now the UFC. What a time to be alive man."
The pact, announced on Tuesday, replaces the UFC's five-year contract with Coca-Cola Co.'s Bodyarmor sports drink. Prime will feature in the mixed martial arts company's broadcasts. This includes pay-per-views and Fight Night events on ESPN+ as well as inside the fighting stadium. Financial details were not provided.
Logan Paul and KSI have signed a multi-year worldwide marketing partnership contract with the UFC
The UFC and Prime today announced a multi-year worldwide marketing agreement that brings together a popular sport and famed hydration brand.
In a statement, Paul stated about the new partnership:
"Together, we are a global powerhouse."
The collaboration will make its premiere at the UFC's upcoming UFC 284 event at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, in February.
In 2022, Prime had more than $250 million in retail sales, with management intending to cross $1 billion this year thanks to an intensive marketing campaign. Prime is also in talks for further acquisitions in the sports sector.
Prime is a bottled sports drink and canned energy beverage in a variety of flavors that has risen to prominence due to marketing and attractive packaging. It's distributed through Walmart Inc., Target Corp., and Kroger Co. Congo Brands, a Louisville-Kentucky-based product-development business that works with influencers.
Paul and KSI advertise the beverages on their social media networks, where they have over 400 million followers worldwide across networks including YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.


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The Duchess of Cambridge was seen stocking up on affordable clothes at Baby Gap ahead of her royal tour
And now it seems she’s passing on her love of affordable brands to her darling baby boy.
The new mum was spotted shopping at Baby Gap in Kensington on Monday afternoon.
Kate reportedly spent a total of £126.44 on clothing items – which will likely be part of Prince George’s wardrobe during their upcoming royal tour of Australia and New Zealand. And she actually queued behind the other shoppers before paying for her haul.
So what did the stylish mum pick up for her 8-month-old son?
She reportedly bought a checked bodysuit (£12.95), two striped babygrows (£14.95) and a pair of cotton trousers (£8.95), among other items. And, of course, she picked up a couple things for herself, as well.
With prices like that, who could resist?


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With the Internet buzzing about Food, Inc., Cory Barker wonders what (if anything) will come of its release.
Guest Patricia Eddy of CookLocal.com reviews filmmaker Robert Kenner's recent look at the underbelly of the American food industry: Food, Inc.
Maggie Sullivan, director of the Local Growers Guild, talks about her involvement with the guild and the Bloomington Farmer's Market.
Jane and Peter Kunz started dairy farming because they were dissatisfied with the local dairy products. Now they're winning prizes for their yogurt and cheese.
Rebecca and Jim Fiedler are big city transplants keeping busy by holistically, humanely and sustainably raising beef, lamb, and chickens in Rome, Indiana
Earth Eats recently took a visit to the Bloomington Indiana Winter Farmers Market at the Harmony School gymnasium. Here's what we found.
As it gets colder, sturdy greens seem to thrive. And they deliver a sweetness that they don't have during their less rehearsed and sweatier summer performances.


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Trans World to Buy Back $2.1 Million Worth of Shares30 Jul, 2013 By: Erik Gruenwedel
Buy back underscores rising fortunes for packaged media retailer
Trans World Entertainment Corp. July 30 said it plans to buy more than 417,000 shares of common stock for $2.1 million from investors willing to sell back to the parent of the f.y.e. (For Your Entertainment) chain as part of a modified “Dutch auction.”
A modified “Dutch auction” allows shareholders to indicate how many shares and at what price(s) they wish to tender within the company's specified price range.
Albany, N.Y.-based Trans World said it would pay from $4.50 to $5.10 per share for the stock as part of a plan to purchase up to $25 million of its common stock. The stock repurchase underscores the company’s rising fortunes following several years of sustained quarterly losses.
Trans World last year issued its first-ever cash dividend — a move heralded by investors, who had lobbied founder and CEO Bob Higgins some time for it.
The company, which owns and operates 353 f.y.e. stores and a handful of Second Spin used product locations (and related websites), reported net income of $1.6 million in its most recent fiscal period.


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Mariah Carey gets an early Christmas present as her festive album goes top ten... and it's only November!
She's a self confessed lover of the Christmas season.
And now, Mariah Carey has received a very special early seasonal present.
The star's new festive album Merry Christmas II You has topped both the U.S. R&B chart and the holiday chart, and is also in fourth place on the national chart.
Christmas gift: Mariah Carey, who appears in a Santa Claus mini dress in her Oh Santa video, is number one in the Holiday chart for her new Christmas album
The album, which was released on October 29, features covers of Christmas classics, plus four original Christmas songs, including the single Oh Santa.
The video for the song sees Carey dressed in a Santa Claus style mini dress and performing in front of an adoring festival crowd.
'It's just one of these up tempo festive fun kind of retro sixties songs, but I didn't want it to feel like it was 2010 or whatever year,' she told Fox All Access recently.
'I want it to have a timelessness to it,' she said.
In the Christmas spirit: Carey's festive single was released at the beginning of this month
Flirty: The singer takes Santa's hat off and twirls it around on the Oh Santa video
'I love the holidays,' she added. 'I don't want it to be like queen cheerleader elf, but I really enjoy being celebratory about the season and having fun.
'It's just a cute little song and I'm happy that it's reaching people and connecting with people,' she said. 'And the fact that it's already number one in the holiday chart is a pretty big deal.'
The star, who recently announced she and husband Nick Cannon are expecting their first baby next year, also expressed her delight on her Twitter page today.
'THANK U!! 2 everyone out there 4 all the festive early Christmas love w/ my new cd "Merry Christmas ll you" x0x0 very exciting!lym,' she wrote.
Holiday cheer: Mariah tweeted the good news about her album success today
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Switzerland-based Schoeller Textil AG — a developer and manufacturer of stretch woven functional
fabrics and smart textile technologies for activewear, workwear and lifestyle apparel applications
— has acquired Christian Eschler AG — a Switzerland-based manufacturer of functional knitted
fabrics for sports, including high-performance Alpine sports; as well as workwear, technical
textiles and lingerie applications.
According to the companies, which as separate family-owned enterprises have long worked
together, the merger will broaden the offerings available to joint customers. In addition,
Eschler’s knitting expertise is expected to provide important synergies for innovations developed
within Schoeller’s recently established venture, Schoeller Medical AG, whose first commercial
product line is the functionMED™ range of fashionable, comfortable women’s and men’s incontinence
Speaking about the merger, Schoeller Textil Board of Administration President Franz Albers
stated, “It is the coming together of two companies, each of which is among the world-wide market
leaders in its own segment and ideally complements one another.”
Eschler Group Board of Administration President Hansjörg Rettenmund concurred, calling the
cooperation “a far-sighted business move which will secure the future and which represents a
logical consequence in terms of market positioning.”
The Eschler brand will continue to be offered as an independent brand. Schoeller will base
its sports apparel sales organization, including 45 employees, in Eschler Group’s headquarters in
Bühler, Switzerland. Former Managing Director Matthias Eschler, will continue to lead activities at
the Eschler Textil GmbH plant in Balingen, Germany, overseeing an expansion of Eschler’s Technical
Textiles division as well as the manufacture of high-tech knit fabrics to be offered under the
Schoeller brand for commercial and professional sports apparel.
The development team at Eschler’s technology and innovation center, which opened in Bühler
last year as part of a group restructuring, is now located in Schoeller’s Sevelen, Switzerland,
facility. Developments will also be carried out in Schoeller’s laboratory in Gams, Switzerland,
which provides facilities for chemical analysis and microbiological studies.
The Sevelen facility also will feature a new, state-of-the-art automated washing system for
stretch wovens and knits. Production of both wovens and knits will continue to comply with the
bluesign® ecological standard for textiles.
June 5, 2012


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A 393-unit multifamily project in College Park with ground-floor retail anchored by a nearly 15K SF Trader Joe’s has hit one of its last milestones before opening.
The Aster apartments, developed by partners Bozzuto, Terrapin Development Co. and Willard Retail, are offering move-ins beginning this month, according to a press release.
“We are incredibly grateful to be developing and building such an extraordinary new community in our own backyard, Bozzuto President and CEO Toby Bozzuto said in a statement. “Together with our partners, it is our hope that we can continue to add to the vibrancy of College Park.”
The development, located at 7150 Baltimore Ave., includes 61K SF of retail in total. It replaced a Quality Inn and Plato’s Diner. The project won tax credit financing from College Park amounting to $4M over 15 years, The Diamondback reported.


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McDonald's employee charged with selling drugs in Happy Meal kits
- From: AP
- January 30, 2014
AN employee of a McDonald's restaurant in Pittsburgh has been charged with selling heroin in child-oriented Happy Meals to customers using the coded request "I'd like to order a toy.''
Authorities made the arrest after an informant told them that an employee was selling the drug.
Customers looking for heroin were instructed to go through the drive-through and say, "I'd like to order a toy,'' said Mike Manko, spokesman for District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.
The customer would then drive to the window, hand over the money and get a Happy Meal box containing heroin in exchange, Manko said.
Undercover agents set up a drug buy and arrested Shania Dennis, 26.
Dennis denied wrongdoing to reporters as she was being led away in handcuffs.
Authorities said they found 10 bags of heroin in a Happy Meal box and recovered another 50 bags from the suspect.
###Originally published as Would you like to get fried with that?


text: Mexico’s Secretario de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) has announced that only local media giant Televisa and its partners had qualified for the auction of two strands of dark fibre owned by state power company Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Bloomberg reports. The Televisa consortium, which includes Megacable and Telefonica, has had its application to bid approved by the regulator, while mobile operator Iusacell had its application rejected, with the SCT claiming it had failed to agree to the auction rules. As a result Televisa will now be the sole bidder for the 20-year lease of the two strands, which cover approximately 20,000km across the country. The sale process will begin on 25 May, with the government aiming to announce the outcome of the sale on 9 June; despite being the only participant Televisa will still be required to make a qualifying bid in line with the agreed terms of the auction in order to bag the concession. The state hopes to raise approximately MXN858.6 million (USD68 million) from the sale.


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A COUNCIL has agreed in principle to split the role of mayor and chairman, but only if the money for a new chain does not come from the public purse.
At Princes Risborough Town Council at the moment one councillor takes on the role of both the mayor and chairman, but many thought this was too much work for one person.
There was also concerns the dual role was deterring people from putting themselves forward for the job.
Current mayor, Alan Turner, and Cllr Will Streule met as part of a working group to discuss the options and decided the role should be split.
A new chain will be needed for the mayor to wear to public events, but this could cost in the region of £2,500 to £3,000.
It was therefore decided external funding should be sought to meet the cost of this.


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The new “Star Wars” movie opens at cinemas across the world on Friday December 15. “The Last Jedi” is almost guaranteed to break box office records.
But the developers of a new computer game based on the film arguably have less reason to celebrate.
They’ve triggered a global debate about gambling addiction that spoiled their launch and threatens revenues.
CGTN’s Owen Fairclough explains.
Video game maker Electronic Arts calls its new “Star Wars” game, Battlefront II, the most expansive yet.
But expensive might better describe the global controversy unleashed by the company over loot boxes that offer game add-ons for up to a $100 – that’s on top of around $60 to buy the game.
The loot box can give you a new character or more powerful weapons. These upgrades expand the game universe and give you an extra edge – especially when playing online against other gamers.
But you won’t know what you’re getting until you’ve paid.
And this random element has opened up a new battle front against critics who think loot boxes are a form of addictive gambling that puts children at risk.
Keith Whyte, Executive Director of the U.S. National Council on Problem Gambling says: “They’re essentially mini-slot machines. You have to play to advance within the game and so it is creating a need.
“Kids can develop a chasing behavior. They can develop a tolerance where the prizes…they win a loot box, they need to win more and more valuable prizes to achieve that same excitement. And then, eventually, it becomes harm, financial, obviously, but also emotional.”
Even so, sales of extra content – that’s what EA calls additional downloads – have exploded in recent years: in 2012 those sales were $433 million; last year they were $1.3 billion – a 199 percent increase.
EA abandoned in-game purchases for Battlefront II following the gambling outcry.
But it’s started a global debate about how microtransactions should be regulated.
China already forces online game makers to display contents of loot boxes and the odds of drawing the items in them.
Belgium and the Netherlands are considering whether microtransactions should be classified as gambling.
Chris Lee, State Representative for Hawaii, is going a step further. He recently declared: “We’re looking at legislation this year which could prohibit access, prohibit the sale of these games to people who are under age, to protect and families, as well as prohibiting different kinds of mechanism with these games.”
That may be difficult. The U.S. Entertainment Software Rating Board doesn’t consider loot boxes gambling.
For now the commercial force remains with games manufacturers.


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Virtuoso Travel Week is here‚ reimagined in a virtual space. Yesterday morning, kicked off with the Opening Ceremony, which touched on many elements of this new travel landscape we are all navigating. One of the highlights was a conversation between Virtuoso’s CEO Matthew Upchurch and Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
One of the main points she drove home was “we need to work together to get out of this, if not it’s going to be very painful and take longer than expected.” She also pointed out the importance of the travel and tourism industry to the world’s economic health, pointing out that travel and tourism contributes 10 percent of the global GDP, and employs 330 million people—that’s 1 out of 10. For the last nine consecutive years, the growth of travel and tourism has outpaced the growth of the economy. In 2019, that was a 3.5 percent GDP growth for travel and tourism vs. a 2.5 percent global GDP growth. From all the jobs created around the world, from all the sectors in all the industries for the last five years, 1 out of 4 were in travel and tourism,” she noted.
As we all know, COVID-19 has impacted the travel and tourism industry especially hard, with a loss of 121.1 million jobs lost around the globe, and the travel and tourism GDP falling by 39 percent. She noted that the jobs lost could amount to 197.5 million worldwide.
On the bright side, she said that she thinks “governments are finally understanding the contribution of travel and tourism—we work with 185 countries and we have to have a lot of coordination with the most important economies to get this right.”
Guevara said that WTTC is working off of four principles to help guide the recovery, and they are, as she mentioned, “based on lessons learned.”
The first one is a “coordinated approach—this is crucial for reopening borders, removing barriers. For instance, if a country decides to open and no one knows and they don’t coordinate with the private sector, it’s very complicated, or if they decide to open and later impose quarantines, that creates a lot of uncertainty. We need to have a coordinated approach, similar to what we had in 2008—that’s the lesson learned, where we had a V-shape recovery around 18 months after the financial crisis thanks to the coordination between the public and private sectors.
“Second point are the protocols—very important. A lesson learned from 9/11 is that countries work in silos and they define their own screening and safety protocols at airports; that impacted the recovery, and, of course, the confidence of the traveler. It took us years to recover after 9/11—four years on average globally—and thus the importance of protocols, to have the same experience globally. That’s why we work with our members to define those protocols and have exactly the same experience, so we can rebuild trust from the traveler faster.”
For the third principle, she pointed to the lesson learned during Ebola. “We were able to travel without a vaccine. Why was that? Because we were able to isolate the sick people. We believe testing is very important, especially because 80 percent of people are asymptomatic. We are talking about testing contract tracing throughout the journey so that we can get back to some sort of new normal while we wait for the vaccine.”
And lastly, she stressed that we all need to continue to support this important sector “because of the jobs that depend on this sector.”
She said that the travel advisor community can help by “knowing the impact of the country you live in and the contribution from travel and tourism; you can get that data from our website. Make sure you understand that contribution and in every interaction with the government, make sure to make a point about the jobs we create, about the contribution to the local economy and use that as a tool. The second one is help us educate the travelers, especially in this phase of the recovery, make sure you have the best information. And third is, let’s work together. We need to partner with more governments so that we can move faster. The message has to be very loud and clear—we need to work together to get out of this.”
For more information on the WTTC, visit wttc.org.


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Every sector of Nigeria’s economy suffered a devastating impact from the naira devaluation that hit the country this year. The telecom industry was not left out as the two major players had their fair share of the economic downturn.
MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Airtel Africa Plc have recently disclosed a combined foreign exchange loss of N479.11 billion, which can be attributed to the devaluation of the naira that took place in June.
In its nine-month financial report for the year, MTN specifically reported a foreign exchange loss of N232.8 billion linked to its net foreign currency liabilities due to the naira devaluation. The naira had dropped from 461/$1 in December 2022 to 777/$1 in September 2023.
MTN highlighted that its foreign exchange loss during the same period in 2022 was significantly lower at N27.9 billion. “Our recognised forex loss for the nine months to September 2023 was 77 percent higher than the amount reported in H1 2023, where we measured all the trade lines after offsetting the naira-denominated cash cover that was provided to the banks. Following further analysis and review, we have remeasured all our trade lines to correctly exclude the naira-denominated cash cover that was provided to the banks.”
Meanwhile, Airtel reported an after-tax foreign exchange loss of $317m. “Loss after tax was $13m driven largely by a foreign exchange loss of $471m recorded in finance cost before tax and $317m after tax because of the devaluation of the Nigerian naira in June 2023. This impact has been classified as an exceptional item.”
Despite the drop in earnings, the telecom companies showed resilience which was evident from the growth in data revenue fueled by the increase in data consumption by their customers.
In the third quarter of 2023, MTN and Airtel experienced robust growth in their data service revenue, which increased their earnings to N403.2 billion. MTN reported N279.5 billion in data revenue between July and September this year. And it’s not surprising considering that MTN is Nigeria’s leading telecom provider in terms of subscribers. It generated N279.5 billion in data revenue between July and September, marking a 38.9% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
“Our 4G network now covers 80.5% of the population, up from 79.1% in December 2022. Data usage (GB per user) grew by 29.1% to 8.6GB, and the number of smartphones on our network increased by 7.6%, bringing smartphone penetration to 53.4%, up 1. Consequently, we recorded a 46.3% growth in data traffic, with the 4G network accounting for 83.7% of the total traffic,” said CEO of MTN, Karl Toriola.
Airtel Nigeria reported N123.7 billion ($157 million) in earnings from data subscriptions, a 29.3% increase in data revenue.
“Airtel Nigeria’s data revenue grew by 29.3% in constant currency, driven by data customer base growth of 17.4% and data Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) growth of 12.3%. Data usage per customer increased by 23.8% to 5.9GB per month (from 4.8GB in the prior period),” noted Segun Ogunsanya, CEO of Airtel.
The devaluation of the Naira contributed to rising inflation, which further affected the companies’ operating costs. Inflation led to increased prices for goods and services, including fuel and energy, critical for the functioning of telecom networks. Most of their infrastructure and equipment, including imported technology, are priced in foreign currencies. With the Naira losing value, these companies had to spend more to acquire the same equipment and services, thus driving up their operational expenses.


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Enterprises need to set up and maintain persistent programs to upgrade and patch their software as fixes become available. “Security is ephemeral,” Pittinger says. “Today’s scan is good, but that can change.”
And when buying applications businesses should grill the developers about security of their supply chain, how they screen the code they use and what their program is for patching their products once they’re in the hands of their customers. “We need to raise the expectations we have for software vendors,” Pironti says.
Sign up for Computerworld eNewsletters.


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Porsche boss Matthias Mueller says that the carmaker will build a ‘modern-day’ version of the classic 550 Spyder as an entry-level model for the brand, confirming Autocar’s scoop story of 12 months ago.
According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, Matthias said ‘I can imagine that such a modern version of the famous 'James Dean' Porsche would be well-received by our customers.’ He also said that new model would not be retro-styled.
The Porsche is expected to be based on a new mid-engined aluminium and steel platform being developed by Audi which will also be used for the proposed Audi R4 roadster.
The Porsche will probably from £35,000 slotting in underneath the next-generation Boxster, which will grow notably in size and cost.
The car will get a new four-cylinder boxer engine that will also power the Boxster, the Cayman and potentially even the 911. Sources say the flat four motor is sized at 2.5-litres and has been producing around 360bhp in turbocharged form.
The outgoing head of R&D Wolfgang Durheimer said at the Detroit show last January: “We have a four-cylinder boxer engine under development.” He admitted that the unit “can be applied” to the Boxster and Cayman.
Durheimer said the unit “could be applied if necessary to the 911. Our decision is, on the 911 side, we’ll stay with the flat [six]. But there are opportunities for the future.”


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BBM for Android is one of the most-hyped app releases of all time. I’m not saying BBM for Android will be the greatest app ever, but a lot of people are certainly excited about it. Personally, I’m excited because BBM is the only major thing I miss about my old BlackBerry (and a battery that could last 2-3 days, I suppose).
BBM for Android is a hyped Android app release because it’s been rumored for over a year. BlackBerry officially announced it was creating the app several months ago. At first, it seemed like the app would be released within just a few weeks of that announcement, but time has slowly dragged on with no release date in sight.
BBM for Android rumors have been swirling all summer. A few weeks ago, it seemed like BBM was going to be released sometime in mid-August, and a number of convincing BBM fakes even appeared on the Google Play Store.
It’s August 31st now and that summer release date clearly didn’t happen. But today, we did receive some real news about BBM for Android: BlackBerry revealed a signup page for its Android and iPhone mobile apps.
You can check out the signup page here and enter your email address. Once BlackBerry has your email address, I have no idea what they’re planning to do with it, but at the very least, you’ll be one of the first people to know when BBM for Android/iOS gets released.
You can view the BBM for Android landing page here. And as for the BBM for Android release date, it will likely be sometime in September.


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Leading retailer of printing consumables and office supplies implements Emarsys AI-enabled platform to seamlessly personalize, replenish and raise customer lifetime value
INDIANAPOLIS, USA: 24 April 2018 – LD Products, a leading e-commerce provider of printing and office supplies, is personalizing its email marketing strategy using Emarsys’ artificial intelligence (AI) enabled platform to increase customer lifetime value and engagement. With Emarsys’ user friendly and easy-to-implement cloud solution, LD Products will be able to drill down into customers data, and in turn enhance brand recognition and boost customer loyalty.
Founded by then 21-year-old USC undergrad Aaron Leon in 1999, LD Products has grown to become one of the largest online retailers of printer and office supplies in the U.S. Offering more than 9,000 types of cartridges and processing 1.4 million orders per year, LD Products wanted to strengthen customer engagement by leveraging a personalized marketing approach across its promotional and transaction emails, newsletters, and dynamic content.
The leading printing supplies retailer is using a suite of Emarsys products to energize its marketing efforts, including Smart Insight that acquires business intelligence to help better analyze and segment customer data. LD Products is also utilizing Emarsys offerings like CRM Ads to meaningfully engage with highly-targeted customers across key social media channels. Adopting a user-friendly interface to deliver customers with a consistent and customized experience, LD Products can further engage Emarsys for integrations that utilize its SMS and deeper AI capabilities.
“Email marketing is a critical portion of our customer engagement and retention strategy. We needed a solutions provider that can automate, support and enhance our massive marketing operations that include sending 40 to 45 million emails yearly to our customers,” said Anna Kemp, Vice President of Marketing at LD Products. “With an easy-to-use platform that integrates seamlessly with other systems and is backed by AI, Emarsys clearly stood out in our search for a long-term, strategic marketing partner. Their data-driven automated solution allows us to personalize campaigns at scale, and successfully meet our customer needs.”
“For any competitive industry such as the printing and office supplies space, offering personalization becomes a critical differentiator for driving customer loyalty and sales,” says Sean Brady, President of Americas at Emarsys. “LD Products has witnessed phenomenal growth in the past 19 years and their marketing strategy needed to adapt to their growing transaction volumes. Our AI-powered platform along with its user-friendly functionality will help LD Products use advanced data science to better understand their customers and execute marketing campaigns that consistently demonstrate high investment value.”
Emarsys sends over ten billion messages per month while analyzing 1.6 billion customer profiles and providing 1.5 billion personalized product recommendations, integrating customer intelligence, personalization, predictive recommendations and omni-channel marketing at scale, across all devices and social channels into a single cloud-based platform.
About LD Products
Since 1999, LD Products has enjoyed great success as a high quality and cost-effective alternative to printer brand consumables. The company also boasts a large selection of office supplies, offering discount prices on the most trusted names in the industry.
Global PR Manager, Emarsys
+44 7387 257263
ICR for Emarsys
Marketing Manager at LD Products


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Dr. Steve Sjuggerud has an amusing but also slightly terrifying article over at Stansberry Research. It turns out our U.S. Government manages to lose money even when it’s making money.
I was just reading the Annual Report from the U.S. Mint. These are the guys who produce our coins.
In short, you take a piece of paper, worth one cent… You print the words “Twenty Dollars” on it (at a cost of a couple pennies per bill)… And you make a profit of… well… about $20 (give or take a couple pennies). Right?
Actually, in a few instances… our government manages to LOSE money from MAKING money.
Wow. Losing money from making money… That’s got to be hard to do, right?
In 2012, it cost the U.S. Mint two cents to create a penny. I am not rounding up. It cost two cents. That is actually down from 2011, when it cost 2.4 cents to make a penny.
It’s not just the penny… Last year, it cost the Mint over 10 cents to create each nickel in 2012.
When you add it up, our brilliant government lost nine figures last year alone (that’s a number in the hundreds of millions) simply on minting pennies and nickels last year.
And our government lost more than $100 million on MAKING MONEY – something that should be a guaranteed profit!
Think about it this way…
The federal government takes your money in taxes – one-third of your income. And then it uses that money to mint pennies and nickels – at a major loss… at a cost of twice the face value of the coins!
Your government has an incredible power – to mint money out of thin air. And it is so incompetent, it manages to lose twice the face value of those coins on every one that is made.


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Every day, 130 million photos — a good portion promoting particular brands — are shared on Tumblr. But this virtually means nothing to a business unless it has access to visual analytics.
That’s where local tech company Curalate comes into play.
“A core part of the Tumblr experience involves communicating visually. In fact, a large percentage of Tumblr posts are images with no text or hashtags, making them previously invisible to brands,” CEO Apu Gupta said in a statement. “By applying our unique image processing technology to Tumblr, we are making the invisible, visible and opening the door for brands to better understand and engage current and potential customers.”
Curalate, an ever-growing Philadelphia startup, helps companies use visual analytics to “identify trends, track visual conversations and engage consumers” through Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and now Tumblr, a blogging platform.
And, better yet, once Curalate helps a business identify who is sharing their brand, how it’s being shared and when it’s being shared, they can use that information to improve marketing plans.
“Curalate consumes the entire Tumblr firehose,” Gupta said. That means it can see every post made on Tumblr daily. This allows Curalate to count how many photos are being shared both by a certain brand and by consumers on Tumblr.
“We know Tumblr is a popular social platform for design fans, as validated by the data Curalate provides,” Lauren Guerrieri, social media manager of Design Within Reach, said. “Now, we can see which products our customers are passionate about and which types of design are trending at any given time.”
Although Lilly Pulitzer isn’t on Tumblr yet, Jane Schoenborn, the clothing company’s vice president of marketing and creative communications, said, “We have been blown away by the actionable Tumblr insights Curalate had provided.”
“We’ve had a hunch that our customers have been on Tumblr for some time, but without Curalate’s data, we were unable to measure the extent to which they are celebrating our brand,” she added. “Now that we have this information, we can customize our interactions with them, providing them with the Lilly Pulitzer experience they expect in a venue where they might not expect it.”
And stay tuned, Schoenborn said, “There’s a good chance you’ll see us on there soon.”


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05 April 2018
We are pleased to present you a new line of premium vodka
27 March 2018
"Diamond" Holding has launched a new product on the market - the Russian five-year cognac "GOLDEN DROPS".
14 March 2018
Diamond Holding presents to your attention a new line of blended wines "Marques de Lavidos"
08 March 2018
"Diamond" Holding hastens to congratulate all the charming and beautiful women with the international women's day!
27 February 2018
Lent is one of the most important and strict posts in Orthodox Christianity.


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There is no denying the fact Fiat makes some of the most beautiful looking cars around the globe, but their India outing has not been that successful. Fiat only offers a handful of products in India, but all of them are best looking in their respective class. One such car from Fiat, which is not yet available in India, but is beautiful looking, is the Fiat 500. An artist has rendered Fiat Punto with 500 as the design inspiration.
The rendering done by RM Design is called 500+ since it is based on the design of 500/500x, but looks more hatchback like. Fiat Punto updated the car with the Fiat Punto EVO, which is one of the best looking hatchback in the country. The difficult task ahead of Fiat is how to further tweak the looks, which going by the success 500 got internationally, is easy to assess.
Since the Punto EVO is a recent offering in the country, the new generation Punto won't be making its way to the Indian shores anytime soon. Though, Fiat could replace the existing Punto from the international markets as soon as early 2016 and company’s designer Roberto Giolito has already acknowledged a possibility of a 5-door model based on 500.
But why is all this fuss related to 500? Ever since its launch, the Fiat 500 has become a rage among the youth due to its cute little looks. Fiat is utilizing the popularity of the 500 by suffixing the moniker. 'L' suffix represents the 5 door version, the 'L MPW' represents a 7 seater, and the 'X' represents the soft-roader. So it may not be wrong to deduce that Fiat will utilize this 500 design for the future cars.
Render courtesy RM Design


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Japan’s Retail Sales Rose Less-Than-Forecast in DecemberKeiko Ujikane
Japan’s retail sales rose less than economists forecast in December, indicating that consumer demand remains weak in the world’s third-largest economy.
Sales rose 0.1 percent from November, when they fell 0.1 percent, the Trade Ministry said in Tokyo today. The median estimate of eight economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a 0.4 percent gain. Sales rose 0.4 percent from a year earlier.
Weak consumer demand and a seventh monthly fall in exports in December highlight the challenges facing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he tries to defeat deflation and lead the country out of recession. The smaller-than-forecast increase in retail sales was even as colder-than-usual weather aided fuel sales.
“Winter bonuses weren’t good and consumer sentiment remains weak,” said Azusa Kato, an economist at BNP Paribas SA in Tokyo. “That’s why consumption didn’t recover much in the fourth quarter.”
The component of the data that includes fuel rose 1.6 percent from the previous month, the ministry said. Car sales also rose as a dip in demand after the September expiry of purchasing subsidies ran its course, a ministry official said.
The nation’s gross domestic product shrank at an annualized 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter of last year, the second straight contraction and meeting the textbook definition of a recession. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News is for a 0.6 percent decline in the three months through December 2012, with a return to growth this quarter of 1.6 percent.
The yen has depreciated more than 9 percent against the dollar in the past two months as Abe has pressed for more central bank easing, improving the outlook for exporters. The currency was 0.1 percent weaker at 90.83 per dollar as of 9:45 a.m. in Tokyo. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average was 0.8 percent higher, heading for its 12th week of gains.
Wages dropped for a third month in November from the previous year. Large companies cut winter bonuses by 2.95 percent in 2012, according to a December report released by the Keidanren, a business lobby.
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In 2015, Snapchat released its first set of augmented reality (AR) filters with instant success. The first iterations of these “Lenses” were limited to heart eyes, puppy ears, and other quirky embellishments for selfies that captured the hearts of users around the world.
In 2020, Snapchat grew AR from cartoon animal filters to designer fashion by partnering with Gucci in their first-ever shoppable AR campaign. By holding the camera over their feet, users could try on four pairs of sneakers and had the option to purchase any of them through the app.
Now more brands are trying to get in on the action—it seems as though AR try-ons could be the future of fashion. Some businesses are already integrating AR try-ons into how they market their products. Luxury fashion retailer Farfetch, for instance, has integrated cloth simulation into their Snapchat campaign, allowing customers to see how the clothing might move in real life without actually putting anything on.
With buyers able to try on different sizes before ordering the clothing, AR try-ons could drastically reduce the rate of returns, making the fashion industry more sustainable. AR also has strong potential for businesses—to increase brand loyalty through immersive virtual experiences, easily market products online, and even sell digital clothing for avatars.
How will virtual fitting rooms impact your shopping habits?


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Talk Talk are the second major internet provider automatically filter adult content
A post on the company's website explained they had pre-ticked the 'on' option, but it was still the customer's choice whether the settings continued to be used.
"Filters will only ever be applied if the customer has consented and they're able to change their mind or edit their level of protection at any point," the post from Talk Talk reads.
"Those who have not yet visited the settings page will be confronted with a pop-up box if they try to access a web page that would be blocked by the filter."
TalkTalk, one of the UK's biggest ISPs, say their HomeSafe service is aimed at families who want to filter inappropriate content.
Both Sky and TalkTalk have taken up the option of blocking adult material by default, while Virgin Media and BT have yet to reveal their plans.
Speaking on Sky's blog, Lyssa McGowan, Brand Director, Communications Products said: "We’re all aware that cyberspace can present security risks, and that the internet isn’t universally suitable for children.
"And at Sky, when it comes to online safety for all, we take our responsibility very seriously.
"With that in mind, we’ve come up with a user and family-friendly approach to online safety.
"What we’re doing now is simply making sure that the automatic position of Sky Broadband Shield is the safest one for all – that’s ‘on’, unless customers choose otherwise.
Prime Minister David Cameron has made it clear he wants all internet service providers to apply filters to home broadband services.


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Dinis Guarda interviews Andrew Ku, Founder and CEO of Altava Group, a luxury fashion metaverse company, in the latest episode of the Dinis Guarda YouTube Podcast series to discuss the mechanisms, economics, and implications of the amalgamation of fashion, metaverse, and gamification. The podcast is powered by platforms like openbusinesscouncil, citiesabc, and fashionabc.
As gamification finds a new dimension with the advent of the metaverse, the intersectionality of this common ground with the fashion industry is creating a new horizon of innovation and creativity in the Web 3.0 space. What’s more, in recent years, emerging technology like digital twins, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning, and many others has brought a paradigm shift almost towards the virtual. The metaverse is a virtually interactive world where users can find a plethora of opportunities to engage and thrive.
With the rise of the metaverse, the concept of fashion has taken on a new dimension altogether. From virtual clothes and accessories, entire avatars have become a part of our digital lives. It has opened up a whole new market for fashion designers and retailers. Users can dress up their avatars in virtual clothing and accessories, attend virtual events and parties, and even shop for virtual items in virtual stores.
“We started the Altava Group in 2018, way before the NFTs and metaverse became mainstream. Luxury brands are always the last in terms of adapting to the newest technological trends. It wasn’t easy to describe what the virtual world concept is. Once we were able to convince them that metaverse is the platform to reach out to Gen Z and the potential and sustainable business model for virtual fashion, brands started catching up in the space.”
A luxury fashion metaverse company
Luxury fashion has always been associated with exclusivity, quality, and craftsmanship. By creating immersive virtual experiences and reaching a broader audience, luxury fashion brands can build their brand in new and innovative ways. As the metaverse continues to grow and evolve, luxury fashion brands will have the opportunity to shape the future of fashion in exciting and meaningful ways.
Altava Group is the luxury fashion metaverse that enables users to discover, interact, and express themselves through a high-fidelity avatar. The Singapore-based company utilises its gamified social commerce platform and marketplace along with multiple other metaverses, the Altava Verse of You, to maximise asset utility.
“We are the connector between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 worlds, bridging real life with digital experiences with both real products and digital products”, Andrew told Dinis.
Speaking about the Altava metaverse, NFT marketplace, and technology solutions that exist under the umbrella of Altava Group, Andrew said:
“We envision the future marketplace to have both- selling physical as well as digital goods, all paired and combined together. We are using NFT as a tool to enhance interoperability, creating a branded, fully customised environment for partners to showcase their digitised pieces.”
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been making waves in the world of digital art and collectibles, but their potential uses go far beyond these realms. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have emerged as a powerful new tool in this space, offering creators a way to monetize their work, establish ownership and authenticity, and create new revenue streams. This has significant implications for industries such as art and collectibles, where authenticity and provenance are crucial.
“Web 3.0 now supports creator’s economy. The digital assets, that you create, are protected. Therefore, now it can be classified as true asset class. So, the ownership, authentication, even the transactions: all protected and transparent. It’s all yours, and it exists beyond any particular service or platform”, Andrew told Dinis.
With a multitude of virtual worlds, platforms, and ecosystems emerging, there is a need for a standardised way for users and assets to move between them. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have emerged as a potential solution to this problem, offering a way for virtual assets to be tokenised and moved between different metaverse environments.
Explaining how Alatava’s NFTs are adding value to various digital products by luxury fashion brands, Andrew said:
“Each and every metaverse has its own graphical standards, and look and feel. So, you have to create a unique version for each one of them. But, that’s not a different NFT. It’s controlled and managed by the Master NFT. So, when you buy this Master NFT, you buy the utilities to various other platforms, thus ensuring interoperability of metaverses. This is how we are protecting the brands’ value.”
Andrew further highlighted that digital fashion, which includes everything from virtual clothing to augmented reality shopping experiences, offers a unique opportunity to create sustainable, ethical, and environmentally friendly fashion options.
“You have a digital twin for every physical asset that you make. With this digital twin, you identify demands first. We, then, produce the designated number of products only. This way, we are reaching the waste-zero model here, touching the sustainability part of it. We are redefining the production cycle and distribution method, building on a new business model.”
Our future with technology
The emergence of Web 3.0 has brought with it a new era of e-commerce. Web 3.0 is characterised by decentralised networks, blockchain technology, and smart contracts, which allow for new e-commerce models that offer greater security, transparency, and efficiency.
Web 3.0 e-commerce models also allow businesses to create their own tokens or cryptocurrencies, which can be used as a form of payment for goods and services. These tokens can also be used to reward customers for their loyalty or to incentivise them to take certain actions such as leaving a review or referring a friend. This creates a more personalised and engaging shopping experience for consumers, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and sales.
Altava is now defining the next business model in terms of creating new efficiency, rebuilding distribution methods, and re-establishing the relationship between brands and customers. Sharing his vision of the Altava marketplace, Andrew told Dinis:
“We are looking forward towards a far-fetched marketplace in Web 3.0. The next few years will not be the traditional eCommerce-driven models, which rely heavily on transactions only. We are currently at the crossroad of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0, but it will be the new hybrid model along the road, as Web 2.0 will still be very much relevant. We will be the first category definer for this new e-commerce era model, which is a users’ playground where they can create and sell their own goods while consuming others’. Users will not only be able to spend money but also earn money through digital currency. We call this Commerce 3.0, and Altava will be the first Commerce 3.0 company.”
Dinis Guarda citiesabc openbusinesscouncil Series is also available as podcast on:
With a driving passion to create a relatable content, Pallavi progressed from writing as a freelancer to full-time professional. Science, innovation, technology, economics are very few (but not limiting) fields she zealous about. Reading, writing, and teaching are the other activities she loves to get involved beyond content writing for intelligenthq.com, citiesabc.com, and openbusinesscouncil.org


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There are a lot of pundits out there trying to explain Nike’s new campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. The problem with most of them is that the optics are all wrong. They are looking at it in the context of politics. But that is not why Nike and their advertising agency, Wieden + Kennedy chose to feature the polemical NFL quarterback.
The reason is cultural leadership.
Nike has not exactly shied away from controversy in the past. They embraced bad boys like John McEnroe and Charles Barkley. They used Spike Lee in commercials to promote Air Jordans. And they are highly aware that athletes can be polarizing. They dropkicked Micheal Vick in less than a day of learning about his dogfighting ring.
Thanks to the folks at Nike’s agency of record, the shoe brand has learned over the years that it pays to be part of the cultural conversation. It’s why they began embracing women as women in their communications and product design. It’s why they are leading in addressing working conditions in overseas manufacturing facilities. And why they are among the few large companies to formally address workplace discrimination issues.
Nike is an athlete’s brand. They have one of the most succinct mission statements in corporate history, “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” And as one of their founders once said, “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
Nike supports athletes. And it is no secret that a majority of athletes recognized Colin Kaepernick’s right to protest during the playing of the national anthem before NFL games.
Where do the majority of Nike’s customers reside? In large metropolitan areas— the same areas that are bright blue on the electoral map. So the ad featuring Kaepernick wasn’t very controversial with most of their customers. In fact, they likely did a few focus groups to test this idea. I doubt they were surprised apparel sales jumped 31% after the launch of the campaign.
The cynics will say that Nike is exploiting a controversial issue to sell shoes. But in an era of contentious opinions, where everyone has a platform to express those opinions, publicly deride and defame individuals for the slightest provocation, and declare a boycott on brands who do not meet their cultural standards, Nike showed leadership.
And it made them more relevant than ever.


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Heavy-duty new truck sales in May continued the year’s big gains over 2011, posting the best total of 2012 — and the second best in five years — with all nameplates improving more than 20 percent.
According to figures provided to The Trucker by Ward’s Automotive, Class 8 sales were 18,012 trucks in the United States, up 35.5 percent from May 2011and up 6.5 percent from April. The year-over-year improvement was the 29th consecutive.
Year to date, 81,762 Class 8 trucks have been sold in the U.S. — a 42.4 percent improvement over the first five months of 2011. That total is 131 percent higher than the sales total for the same period in 2009, the worst year in a generation. The period trails the record year of 2006, but the industry has closed to gap: Truck makers are now just 29 percent behind the boom times.
In a brand-by-brand look at the May sales figures, Daimler Trucks North America’s Freightliner nameplate once again led the field, selling 5,529 trucks, an 8.6 percent gain from April and a 42.5 percent improvement from the year before. DTNA’s Western Star nameplate tallied 214 Class 8 sales in May, up 31.3 percent from the previous month and up 111.9 percent from the year before.
Navistar in May sold 3,337 International brand trucks, a 2.4 slip percent from the previous month, but up 26.7 percent from May 2011.
For the Paccar Inc. brands, Peterbilt sold 2,586 trucks (up 2.2 percent from April, up 33.4 percent from May 2011) while Kenworth sold 2,704 trucks (up 2.3 percent from April, up 36.7 percent from May 2011).
Volvo Group’s Mack Trucks Inc. was up 3 percent from the previous month on 1,524 trucks sold in May (up 45.6 percent from the year before), while the Volvo brand was up 34.3 percent for the month, on 2,118 trucks sold (up 23.8 percent from May 2011).
Month-to-month numbers, it should be noted, can vary greatly — especially between quarters or from year’s end — depending on an OEM’s sales incentives and reporting procedures, or more recently, supplier shortages and production line issues.
The U.S. market share pie chart for the first five months of 2012 shows Freightliner with a 31.7 percent slice of Class 8, topping International’s 19.4 percent. Kenworth’s share for the year so far is 14.9 percent, followed by Peterbilt at 14.1 percent. Volvo 10.7 holds percent and Mack 8.1 percent of Class 8 sales.
So far in 2012, Kenworth and Peterbilt have posted the big market share gains, improving by 2.2 percentage points and 1.5 percentage points, respectively. Those gains come at the expense of Freightliner, which has lost 1.8 percentage points of market share, compared to its 33.5 piece through May last year. Volvo and International each are down about 1 percentage point.


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Only a few days to go: We’re raising £25,000 to keep TheyWorkForYou running and make sure people across the UK can hold their elected representatives to account.Donate to our crowdfunder
I do not disagree with the noble Lord—but the point I was making is that in the period since 1998 goods exports to the EU have grown by only 0.2% per year, or 3.7% over those 20 years, reaching £164 billion in 2017. However, the UK’s goods exports to countries outside the EU customs union have grown in the same period by 3.3% a year—over 60% in total—to £175 billion. So the customs union has not been quite as marvellous for this country as noble Lords opposite suggest. I very much hope that the Government will stick to their policy of leaving on a basis whereby we will have our own independent trade policy, which will enable us to do more trade and enter into trade agreements with the economically faster-growing parts of the world.


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UltraTech Cement Limited will reportedly sell the entire stake in its Chinese unit for a $120 million enterprise value, which is around ₹ 900 crore at current exchange rates.
The acquisition would help Sika expand its share in the Sealing & Bonding market of China.
Sika AG, a Swiss chemical company, has recently signed an agreement to acquire Crevo-Hengxin, a Chinese firm that produces adhesives
The company will continue its services from a newly developed service and support office in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
This remarks the 4th office of the company in the Middle East.
The additive manufacturing subsidiary of BASF, a Germany-based chemical company, has recently launched Ultrafuse 316L, its metal-polymer 3D printing filament, cite sources.
For the record, the 3D printing filament was introduced in 2018 by the com
PureCycle Technology is building its first plant in Lawrence City, Ohio.
The unit will begin operations in 2021 and aims at recycling approximately 119 million pounds of polypropylene, while producing
The acquisition is complementary to both firms with a mutual advantage in technology sharing
Huntington Solutions, a Mill Point Capital’s portfolio company, recently announced that it has bought Texas Foam, a company that manufa
The latest Newport investment has doubled the manufacturing capacity of Santoprene thermoplastic elastomers at the site
ExxonMobil Corporation, the American multinational oil & gas company, has reportedly announced that it has
The newly formed JV would be solely dedicated for fully recycling postconsumer polystyrene materials.
The new JV would be assuming Agilyx’s Oregon-based facility to carry out the recycling activi
The cost of transportation and production will be retrieved from sales of lithium hydroxide.
Australia-based Alliance Mineral Assets Limited has reportedly announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chi


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Email reigns supreme in advisors' digital marketing, according to Snappy Kraken. When compared with social media marketing campaigns, emails generate more traffic to advisor websites.
Snappy Kraken analyzed 9.3 million data points from marketing campaigns launched on its platform to reach this conclusion for its State of Digital Marketing: Financial Adviser Online Marketing Report and Benchmarking Study, released earlier this month. That’s 2.5 million emails, 14,299 digital campaigns, 808,561 contacts and 322,600 website pageviews.
“If you are not working diligently to build an email database, you are missing an opportunity. That is where you will get your most traffic,” said Robert Sofia, the founder and CEO of Snappy Kraken, during a webinar detailing the survey results. Sofia suggested advisors build their email contact lists, diversify their marketing content with an audience’s interest outside of personal finance, and be active on a social media platform, preferably Facebook.
“If you look at the demographics, of course, LinkedIn is going to drive more professionals and Facebook is going to drive more middle-class average investors,” Sofia said.
But email was king, incurring more engagement than social media—69% to 31% for social media, according to the survey.
TechGirl Financial, a hybrid registered investment advisor and independent broker/dealer, uses Snappy Kraken to supplement its ongoing marketing efforts to women between the ages of 31 and 55. The firm’s co-founder and investment advisor rep, Victor Gaxiola, says traffic to the website comes from all over—email, social media or direct, but he finds email to be the most important.
“The level of engagement you might receive from someone through email—I would definitely evaluate it much higher because it is someone that I actually have their email address and so I’m nurturing that relationship,” he said. “We can see names associated with those who we have the email addresses of. So, [Snappy Kraken’s dashboard] will say you know Joe client or Mary something opened up this email.”
With visitors from social media, search engines or those who typed in the advisor’s website into the address bar, it’s hard to track who they are. Website metrics may tell you the geographic location of the visitor or what website led the visitor to an advisor’s site, but it won’t give many details beyond that. For advisors wanting to know what their clients like about their content, email is turning into the most important digital marketing tool out there.
WealthManagement.com’s 2020 Prospecting Survey supported the conclusions found by Snappy Kraken. More than half (54.8%) of respondents said they plan to use email campaigns to expand their client base. The survey found that email was the top digital marketing tool chosen by advisors (11.1%), followed by social media (4.6%), webinars (3.1%), websites (3.1%), blogs (0.4%) and podcasts (0.4%).
“Email is by far—and has always been—the biggest driver of traffic and the biggest converter of leads,” said Solange Jacobs Randolph, the senior marketing director of FMG Suite, a white-label company that also competes for independent advisors, but more so concentrates on the broker/dealer space.
Randolph said FMG Suite focuses on email by default because of the heavy scrutiny placed on b/ds from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority concerning digital communications.
Michael Policar, an advisor with HighTower Advisors in Bellevue, Wash., added that most of his firm’s client engagement comes from email, mainly to existing customers. Leads, on the other hand, historically come from Google searches.
“Use the online to bring [clients] offline and then nurture the offline,” said Sofia of the ultimate goal of digital marketing.


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The Biden-Putin call comes as Ukraine has warned for months that thousands of Russian troops were massing along its eastern border.
Apple CEO Tim Cook praises China’s innovation, long history of cooperation on Beijing visit
The world's biggest iPhone factory, located in China and run by Foxconn, faced disruptions in 2022. That is likely to...
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — You spend up to 8 hours a day staring at a computer screen while at work, and then a few more hours staring at your phone or TV when you're home.
That's can add up to a lot of screen time. New products have hit the market to try and help protect people's eyes from the blue light the emits from the screens.
Dr. David Montesanti at ECVA Eyecare in Niagara Falls says there's not enough research right now to say the glasses protect people's eyes from cancer and other harmful diseases.
"There is anecdotal evidence that if we decrease the amount of light that goes into our retina there may be less chance of harm or disease," Dr. Montesanti said. He says there's no evidence of harm to the eyes by using the glasses.
According to a survey done by a company that makes glasses with the tint, they found 98% of people said they noticed sleep improvement when they wore the glasses. They also found 65% of people said they noticed a significant reduction in headaches.
Dima Maddah is a social media manager at the Martin group who bought the blue light deflecting glasses. She only spent $4 more to have the tint put on. She says it has helped decrease her headaches.
As for sleep, Dr. Montesanti says blue light could be a cause of interrupting your natural body rhythm. He says your natural clock knows that when it's dark it is time for bed, but with your eyes focused on a screen it could be the reason for restless sleep.
Dr. Montesanti says there needs to be much more research done before he would say the blue tint can actually help people. For now he says there's no harm in trying them.


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Norwalk,CT (PRWEB) August 19, 2014
Akademos, Inc., an education technology company offering bookstore services, has recognized nine students at colleges across the country for their creativity in this year’s Akademos / TextbookX Textbook Scholarship Contest. The first place winner, two runner-up winners, and six honorable mention winners all received a textbook scholarship to apply towards course materials for fall 2014.
To participate in the contest, students posed with their favorite book and submitted their self-taken photos with a creative caption to Facebook. After uploading their #BookShelfie —a play on the word “bookshelf” and the social media “selfie” trend— students encouraged friends and family to vote for their entry. The #BookShelfie with the most votes at the end of the contest period was the grand prize winner. The next two in line were announced as runner-ups in this year’s contest. Six students received honorable mentions, awarded for the individuality and creativity of their photo.
The scholarship contest winners were announced on August 12, during what Akademos has designated as “Textbook Affordability Week.” Textbook Affordability Week was developed to educate students about the benefits of shopping for textbooks early in the back to school shopping season, when prices are the most competitive. After most college spring terms end and right before fall term begins, the market is flooded with used books that students have sold back into circulation as part of textbook buy-back initiatives, thereby increasing inventory and decreasing book costs. College students who buy earlier in the summer are more likely to find discounts on textbooks.
The Akademos / TextbookX Textbook Scholarship winners are listed below:
- Grand Prize Winner ($500 Textbook Scholarship) – Faizan Haque, University of California Irvine
- Runner Up ($250 Textbook Scholarship) – Chrissi Lopez, Fort Myers Institute of Technology
- Runner Up ($250 Textbook Scholarship) – Michelle Stock, Millikin University
Our honorable mention winners, awarded with a $25 textbook scholarship, were:
- Honorable Mention – Holly Tidwell, Union College of Kentucky
- Honorable Mention – Tori Thoutt, University of Northern Colorado
- Honorable Mention – Tiffany Latshaw, Central College
- Honorable Mention – Katie Perry, Columbia International University
- Honorable Mention – Breanna Berry, Hamline University
- Honorable Mention – Joy Law, Columbia International University
To view the entries, visit http://textbookx.com/scholarship.
Akademos / TextbookX would like to thank all students for entering their fall 2014 Textbook Scholarship Photo Contest. To stay updated on TextbookX Scholarship opportunities, like TextbookX on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/textbookxdotcom.
TextbookX is an educational e-commerce site dedicated to finding students the lowest price for their books. TextbookX offers new, used, eBook and rental options to customers nationwide from a variety of sellers on the TextbookX Marketplace. The average savings on marketplace books is 60% off list price. TextbookX also offers students a year-round buyback program where they earn up to two times more than standard buyback prices. Shop or sell books back today at http://textbookx.com.
Akademos offers virtual bookstore services, eLearning solutions, and an innovative textbook marketplace to schools. Its comprehensive supply-chain solution and commitment to responsive personal service make Akademos a leader in providing affordable textbooks and digital learning tools for schools. Students can choose from new, used, rental, and eBook options while schools can reduce costs and increase operating efficiency. Faculty can search, discover, and adopt new texts using the Akademos Textbook Adoption Tool at http://www.adoption.akademos.com. Akademos delivers the right course materials, at affordable prices, on time. Learn more about Akademos’ direct-to-students ecommerce platform at http://www.textbookx.com and its offerings to partner schools at http://www.akademos.com.


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It’s the final countdown.
But as retail enthusiasts will tell you, we’re not talking about Christmas here. Rather the bargain hunting of the Black Friday sales.
November sales have been growing in recent years due to the increasingly popular Black Friday discounting by major retailers.
It’s the US event that infiltrated Australia’s retail scene. Here’s what you need to know.
When is Black Friday 2022?
Black Friday falls on November 25 this year.
Research from the Australian Retailers (ARA) in collaboration with Roy Morgan forecast sales to reach a record $6.2 billion over the four-day Black Friday to Cyber Monday weekend.
That’s Friday 25, November, to Monday 28, November.
Isn’t Black Friday originally an American thing?
Yeah. Pretty much…
Black Friday began in the United States and marks the Friday following Thanksgiving, usually observed on the fourth Thursday of November.
Traditionally, this Friday was the beginning of the holiday and Christmas spending period.
More recently, Black Friday has evolved into a global shopping frenzy where retailers offer large discounts on a range of products from beauty, toys, home appliances, electronics to fashion, furniture and travel.
Australian Retailers Association (ARA) CEO Paul Zahra says Black Friday sales are about offering the biggest pre-Christmas bargains.
“We’re expecting huge amounts of traffic in stores and online, with sales to reach $6.2 billion this year – an increase of $200 million on 2021,” Mr Zahra said.
Retailers will be offering deals before Black Friday hits and across the two days before Cyber Monday.
Tell me more about Cyber Monday you say…
When is Cyber Monday?
Monday 28 November. It follows Black Friday.
What exactly is Cyber Monday?
Cyber Monday initially began as the “online” version of Black Friday back in the early 2000s when online shopping wasn’t yet quite a thing.
ANZ Senior Economist Adelaide Timbrell says Black Friday and other sales events including Cyber Monday are capturing an increasing share of the critical holiday retail trade.
Household spending has held up despite very low consumer confidence and record-high inflation expectations, Ms Timbrell says.
“One thing we need to remember is that in both 2020 and 2021, the critical holiday trading period came right after long lockdowns, so some of the spending in late 2020 and 2021 was due to pent up demand,” she says.
“While there are encouraging signs for the holiday trading period this year, we don’t have the additional boost of people being let out of lockdowns right before the holiday season.”
ANZ expects to a slowdown in household spending through 2023, as the full impact of RBA rate hikes flow through.
“The strength or weakness on Black Friday will give us some clues as to how quickly households slow down their spending as a result of rate hikes.”
How to make the most of your sales?
It saves to be organised.
When it comes to making the most of the sales, plan what you need (and want) in advance.
“With great deals already being launched by retailers, it’s a good time to snap up a bargain,” Mr Zahra says.
You know what they say about failing to plan. So:
- Have your wish list ready to go
- Follow retailers or brands on social media to be in the know when deals start
- Compare and collate which retailers are offering your desired products so when the sales begin you can quickly snap up the best deal
- Many online retailers will provide a discount or promotional code to be entered when making a purchase and will run discounts for a certain time period
- Stick to trusted websites
And be wary of potential scams
“Shopping online is always more convenient, however we encourage consumers to shop with confidence only from reputable retailers,” Mr Zahra says.
The Australian and Consumer Competition Commission (ACCC) advise to research the seller and know who you are buying from.
The biggest tip-off that a retail website is a scam is the method of payment.
When making online payments:
- Only pay for items using a secure payment service —look for a URL starting with ‘https’ and a closed padlock symbol
- When paying, avoid arrangements asking for up-front payment via bank transfer, money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card or electronic currency, like Bitcoin
- Use a secure payment service such as PayPal or credit card transaction
But wait, there’s still more…
So, what does Gen Z want to gift you this Christmas?
With Christmas a little more than a month away, gift cards and vouchers, along with clothing and toys top gift lists this year, according to Afterpay’s Festive Forecast.
Different generations have varying motivations for gift-giving.
Younger shoppers in particular are getting organised and making gift lists early.
The Afterpay report found older shoppers, especially the post-war generation, appreciate the act of giving and also giving presents the recipient can find useful.
Whereas Gen Z want to gift something that’s “meaningful.”


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Roberto Cavalli pulled out all the stops for his 40th anniversary show, tapping models Natalia Vodianova and Laetitia Casta to open and close.
Word has it the Roman house has tapped Eighties super group Duran Duran for a party Oct. 3 during Paris Fashion Week.
The label firmly denied speculation Monday that it would alter or nix the spring/summer collection it paraded in Milan last week.
She began her fashion career in the Seventies as a model with the John Robert Powers agency.
It’s no secret that The New Yorker’s Ben McGrath has been working on a story about Nick Denton for some time. But will it go to print?


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Veeam’s business is going vroom vroom, according to the company, with its new Veeam Availability v8 suite and 65% growth in results this quarter compared to the last - continuing a record run of growth quarters after already having won over 50 of the biggest industry awards - solidifying Veeam as the Data Centre All-Star Dream Team.
The company has even used a term fans of crunchy computing have heard elsewhere, with a trademark next to the tagline “It just works!”.
Ratmir Timashev, Veeam’s CEO, said: “IT has been forced to become strategic now that businesses require 24x7 availability for all applications and data.”
“To deliver that level of availability, IT is transforming the modern data centre by bringing together virtualisation, the cloud, and storage technologies so they can provision services and devices faster, strengthen security and control, and reduce operational costs.
“Veeam’s continued growth illustrates this, and we are seeing steady demand across all geographies and verticals as businesses strive to deliver the application availability users demand.
“This new release further extends Veeam’s leading position in the new market of Availability for the Modern Data Center and introduces more than 200 new features and enhancements, including Veeam Cloud Connect, integration with NetApp and major enhancements in replication and disaster recovery. Its release will help accelerate Veeam’s global and enterprise expansion to meet both market share and revenue goals as we close out 2014.”
More dreamy highlights from Veeam’s Q3 2014 include:
The Veeam Cloud Provider (VCP) Program
- Extraordinary growth: The VCP program grew revenues by 159 percent in Q3 2014 over Q3 2013. The program also surpassed the 6,000 partner mark.
- Veeam Cloud Connect support: Veeam reports it has collaborated with 21 launch partners to provide “Day One” support for the Veeam Cloud Connect functionality in Veeam Availability Suite v8.
- VCP alliances: Veeam released a beta version of a new plug-in for Veeam integration with LabTech. Veeam also added Westcon Group (New Zealand) as a new VCP rental aggregator, and formed a technology alliance with NEXTDC in Australia.
Veeam’s Customer Growth
- Veeam reports more than 3,000 new customers each month: Veeam acquired approximately 10,000 new customers in Q3, with total paid Veeam customers now surpassing 121,500.
- VeeamON: Veeam’s first flagship event, VeeamON: The World’s Premier ‘Data Center Availability Event’, took place in Las Vegas, NV, in early October. Veeam reports that it was a huge success, with more than 1,200 customers, partners, press and analysts in attendance. Plans are already underway for VeeamON 2015.
Highlights and recorded sessions from the VeeamON 2014 event can be seen at the link above.
Veeam’s Enterprise Strength
- Large footprint: 45 percent of the 2014 Global 2000 are Veeam customers.
- Rapid growth: The number of new enterprise customers grew 108 percent year-over-year, while revenue from enterprise customers grew 140 percent over that same period.
No doubt Veeam hopes its dream run continues, but with the growth, customer, partner and activity figures it is reporting, it looks like there’s plenty of V8 power to keep the Veeam vroom zooming!


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Saab floats along in limbo as General Motors figures out what to do with its Swedish plum, meaning that dealers are stuck with moribund product to try and unload. It's as nasty as it sounds for the automaker, but for buyers, it means deals on Saabs like never before.
Saab Bankruptcy Extension
Saab remains confident that the motion to extend its bankruptcy protection for an additional three months will be approved in court and that it will be purchased in whole by one of three remaining interested parties early this summer. Those three parties will not be identified in court documents, according to Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs, but widespread speculation suggests they include both Fiat and Chinese automaker Geely.


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Amazon announced its new tablet lineup Wednesday, catering to a wide range of users from the budget-conscious to tech-savvy children.
The line includes a refresh of its Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 and , as well as a colorful $99 , a high-end e-reader called the . The Fire HD 7 and 6 models are also available in Kids Editions, which include a chunky case, a 2-year warranty, and a free year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a subscription service focusing on kid-friendly content such as apps, games, and videos.
Amazon is adding more variety to its line, creating a situation akin to Samsung's shotgun approach: make a bunch of tablets to fit every level of consumer and hope something sticks. Additionally, Amazon's banking on what's worked best for it, catering to parents who want a cheap tablet for their kids.
"Fire HD Kids Edition is a real tablet, not a toy," Peter Larsen, an Amazon vice president of devices, said in a press release. "Kids break things, so we added a 2-year, no-questions-asked, worry-free guarantee."
The e-commerce site has consistently catered to parents since it launched it tablet line. Offering a cheap but good-quality alternative to the iPad, Amazon's Fire tablets appealed to parents. The company also, a mode that allows for parental control settings on content and in-app purchases.
The colorful Kids Editions tablets take things a step further, as Amazon is specifically marketing the device for families. This certainly isn't a new idea. As mobile devices became more popular, so did kid-friendly devices, like the LeapFrog learning tablets, which cater to very young children, or Samsung'sfor its Galaxy Tab 3.
Following its usual tactic, Amazon is probably hoping its services, like FreeTime Unlimited, will set its device apart in a very crowded market.


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MANCHESTER, N.H., April 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Yahyn, the leading online wine sales startup and lifestyle brand, has announced their newest partnership with Worth Avenue Yachts to continue their commitment to creating unique, personal experiences for wine enthusiasts around the world.
Worth Avenue is a yacht brokerage company founded by industry-leading professionals who share Yahyn’s passion for fresh, innovative ideas. Pierre Rogers, CEO and Founder of Yahyn, stated that “wine and yachting have a long history going back centuries with the christening tradition of breaking a bottle of champagne with every new boat. This new partnership is a perfect blend of exclusivity and opulence.”
Worth Avenue helps individuals find the most luxurious one-of-a-kind yachting experience, and Yahyn will deliver a personalized wine recommendation service for anyone onboard. The Worth Avenue partnership highlights the continued expansion of Yahyn’s sommelier service (Y-Somm) by allowing yacht owners, charters, and crew chefs the convenience of connecting directly with a top world sommelier for wine pairings and customized recommendations.
Yahyn also recently launched the world’s first non-fungible token (NFT) for wine allocations, granting wine enthusiasts an opportunity to create digital assets that are representative of their wine collection, Jack Ambriz, mentioned that this is only the beginning.
Whether it is the discovery of new vineyards, a match based on your wine palate preferences, or an elevated opulent experience, Yahyn is committed to continue driving value to its community.


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As excerpted from http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/06/mentors_international_trade_in.html:
MENTOR, Ohio–City leaders sell Mentor in Germany and England.
Since late 2013, Mentor has had an international trade initiative with a full-time manager. Each spring, city officials and business leaders have visited England and Germany to forge ties for future trade, investments and more.
The rest of the year, Manager Mercedes Sanchez-Moore leads seminars and consults one-on-one, helping businesses find partners, get grants and guidance from state and federal government and learn such things as the intricacies of currencies, shipping laws.
Says Sanchez-Moore, a native of Spain who joined Mentor in January, “We focus on helping companies partner with overseas companies. The goal is to introduce Mentor as a gateway for international business in Northeast Ohio.”
Mentor and Akron are believed to be the only local cities with year-round trade programs. Other cities rely on federal and state programs and the nonprofit Team NEO.
Sanchez-Moore says Mentor, despite having only about 47,000 people, ranks seventh in the state with about 300 manufacturers.
About 25 percent of these businesses export, mostly to Mexico, Canada and Europe. Foreigners also own some Mentor businesses, including the incoming De Nora Tech, which is based in Concord and building a factory on Tin Man Drive.
Sanchez-Moore says she has helped Parker Precision and North American Coating Labs get International Market Access Grants this year. She also helped Alamarra join the Ohio Export Internship last summer and hire an international student from Cleveland State University to boost the company’s exports of crepe mixes.
Gary Swanson, president of Thermotion, which makes autmotive heater control valves, joined last year’s trip to Europe with help from a state grant. Now he’s testing a product designed for a contact he made there.
Says Swanson, “We’re a small company, so having somebody else put together logistics is very helpful. Mentor’s trying hard to not just walk the traditional path.”
This year’s trip lasted more than two weeks in April and May. Travelers included Sanchez-Moore, City Manager Ken Filipiak, Councilman Ray Kirchner and Kevin Malacek, former Lake County commisioner, now senior development officer at Lakeland Community College. In different years, business representatives have tagged along from Steris, Monode Markings, Process Technologies and North American Coating Laboratories as well as Thermotion.
This year’s trip included Berlin, Potsdam and the Hannover Messe trade show, which Sanchez-Moore calls the world’s leading industrial show. Mentor’s entourage also visited London, Birmingham and its suburb of Solihull. Sanchez-Moore says Birmingham is a manufacturing hub somewhat like Cleveland and Solihull a manufacturing satellite like Mentor.
Mentor’s trip cost about $17,000. Most the the cost -$15,000 – was funded by the Lake County Port Authority. Some of the rest came from fees for businesses to attend city trade seminars.
At the German show, Mentor used space in Akron’s booth. So do representatives of Stow, Fairlawn, Ravenna, area businesses, Summit County, Stark County, the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce and the Mayors Association of Portage, Summit and Stark Counties.
Sanchez-Moore says it pays for Mentor to have its own trade program. “Efforts like these have contributed to our success, and we will continue to do what it takes to keep our economy strong.”


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CHRISTMAS IN CANTON -- "CITY OF LIGHTS"November 23 - December 23, 2018
Canton’s Christmas festival creates memories with new attraction
We are proud to announce our new title sponsor Trustmark Bank. This year more than 200,000 twinkling white lights will once again make Canton’s Historic Courthouse Square glow with small-town charm, nostalgia for holidays past and a dash of the season’s magic.
“This year’s new attraction is our interactive Christmas Village,” Canton Tourism executive director Jana Dear said, Children will be able to make reindeer food for Santa’s reindeer to eat on Christmas eve, Frosty will be near his igloo handing out marshmallow’s to roast by his fire, and Santa’s elves will teach the children how to create their own picture frame and become a certified elf! “The interactive Christmas Village will allow the children to take home their memories from the Canton Christmas festival while creating special memories with our characters.”
To take full advantage of the festival’s breathtaking night-time views, festival hours will be 5-9 p.m. Nov. 23-25. Activities will start back up for nightly festival fun Nov. 30 - Dec. 23.
In keeping with tradition, Merchants Open House Weekend comes on the heels of Thanksgiving. November 23-25th Merchants around the square will have extended holiday hours and will offer a respite from the hectic, big-box-store experience. Shoppers can stroll the sidewalks and enjoy the season, immersed in lights and holiday music, as they pop into gift shops, vintage stores and boutiques for unique items, special sales and samples.
Light and Character Parades, at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday nights throughout the festival’s run, enhance the family fun with a chance to meet favorite princesses, superheroes and more.
“As we all know, moments and memories are priceless treasures we will have forever and the Canton’s Christmas Festival allows you to capture those times with your loved ones during the special holiday season,” Canton Tourism executive director Jana Dear.
Additional festival highlights include: Sip ’n’ Cider 5-9 p.m. Dec. 14: Mrs. Claus’ Story Time, 6-9 p.m., Horse and Buggy Rides around the square, an old fashion carousel, and Trolley rides around the square. As well as photos with Santa nightly throughout the festival.
**Note: On Friday, December 7th, 2018, there will be no Horse and Buggy, Train, Fire Truck or Trolley.


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Gujarat Toolroom shares hit upper circuit on ₹29-crore supply order from Reliance Industries
2 min read • Updated: March 7, 2024, 3:20 PM
The ₹29-crore construction supplies contract marks the first part of Gujarat Toolroom’s collaboration with Reliance Industries.
Gujarat Toolroom Ltd shares were locked in a 5% upper circuit limit on Thursday after the company secured a construction supplies contract from Reliance Industries Ltd.
Shares of Gujarat Toolroom gained 5% in the morning trade to touch the upper band at ₹59.98 at 9:26 am on BSE.
The ₹29 crore construction supplies contract marks the first part of GTL's collaboration with Reliance Industries.
The order entails the supply of construction raw materials on demands to active projects of Reliance in various locations. The order will be delivered over 30 working days period.
"While this initial order is a testament to the trust and confidence placed in GTL's capabilities, the company anticipates more such orders from Reliance Industries Limited in the near future. GTL is committed to delivering top-notch products and services, ensuring mutual growth and success for both parties involved," Gujarat Toolroom said in a stock exchange filing.
Gujarat Toolroom share prices are now hovering around its 52-week high of ₹ 62.28 per piece touched on January 9, 2024. The company's shares have zoomed over 6 times from their 52-week low of ₹8.92 touched in April last year.
Gujarat Toolroom Ltd reported a strong year-on-year growth in its financial results for the quarter ending in December 2023.
The company’s revenue from operations has shot up to ₹13.10 crore, over a 17-fold increase YoY. The company posted revenue of ₹70 lakh in the year-ago period.
The net profit in quarter three of the current financial year grew 21 folds YoY to ₹3.2 crore. Gujarat Toolroom posted ₹64.48 lakh net profit in the year-ago period.
Gujarat Toolroom Ltd marked its entry into the mining business with the acquisition of a min in Zambia earlier this year.


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Boston Scientific said Monday that write-downs and a hold on product shipments sunk its first-quarter earnings, which missed analyst estimates.
The company will take a $1.8 billion write-down tied to a loss in value of its heart-pacing device business, which it acquired with the 2006 buyout of Guidant. The company has struggled to balance its debt since making the $27 billion acquisition.
The company posted a net loss of $1.6 billion, or $1.05, compared with a net loss of $13 million or one cent per share, for the prior-year period. Sales were $1.96 billion.
Excluding one-time charges the company would have earned $251 million, or 16 cents per share, in the same period last year.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected earnings per share of 76 cents on revenue of $2 billion.
Based on its first-quarter performance, Boston Scientific scaled back its full-year earnings estimate to between 50 and 60 cents per share, excluding one-time charges, from between 62 and 72 cents per share.
In the second-quarter the company expects to earn between 6 and 10 cents per share. Analysts are looking for 10 cents per share.


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Split-screen multitasking expected to arrive with Android 6.1 in June
Google recently revealed that it is working to bring split-screen multitasking to pure Android, and now “trusted sources” are promising it will arrive next June with Android 6.1 Marshmallow.
When Android and Chrome UX director Glen Murphy confirmed split-screen multitasking in a Reddit AMA earlier this month, he suggested we would probably have to wait until Android N arrives next fall to get it. But Android Geeks claims it will come sooner.
“One of our most trusted sources told us that Google is planning to release the Android 6.1 Marshmallow in June, 2016, and it will also come with the long-awaited split-screen support,” reads the report. “We’ve had plenty of leaks that turned out to be true from this source.”
Split-screen multitasking allows users to run two apps side-by-side. Samsung has proven it can be incredibly useful on smartphones, but it’s even greater on tablets. And now that the Pixel C is here and going head-to-head with the iPad, this is a feature it should have.
The same source claims Android 6.1 will also bring improvements to Marshmallow’s new app permissions system, which was overhauled with Android 6.0 to be more user-friendly — and some under-the-hood improvements for greater stability and performance.
It’s still a lengthy wait for June, but it’s better than waiting for Android N, which won’t be rolled out to the public until next fall.
- SourceAndroid Geeks